Renee Good’s former father-in-law said Tuesday that he doesn’t blame U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for her fatal shooting in Minneapolis last week. Timmy Macklin told CNN the situation was “hard all around” and that he believes “some bad choices” were made, but he “doesn’t blame ICE, I don’t blame [Good’s wife] Rebecca. I don’t blame Renee,” Fox News reported.
Macklin said he wishes that “if we’re walking in the spirit of God, I don’t think she would have been there,” and that his view is shaped by his faith.
Good was married to Macklin’s son, who died in 2023, and the couple shared a six-year-old son. Macklin remembered Good as “an amazing person” and “good mother” who was “full of life.”
When pressed by CNN anchor Erin Burnett on whether the shooting was justified, Macklin reiterated that he “was not blaming anybody.”
Macklin said he watched cellphone video from a witness that showed Good’s vehicle striking an ICE agent, and said that in a split-second situation “it’s hard to say how you’d react.”
WATCH:
🚨 WOW! Renee Good’s former father-in-law tells CNN he does NOT blame ICE for her death and says she would not have been there if she were walking in the Spirit of God.
Not what CNN wanted to hear. pic.twitter.com/P7CKOSyynb
— David J Harris Jr (@DavidJHarrisJr) January 14, 2026
On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary confirmed that the ICE agent suffered internal bleeding after being struck by the vehicle.
Federal officials have said ICE agents acted in self-defense and have labeled the incident an act of domestic terrorism, a characterization rejected by Democratic officials and local leaders.
Federal officials say the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good during a chaotic encounter in Minneapolis last week suffered internal bleeding to the torso, a revelation that bolsters claims that the officer acted in self-defense.
Sources briefed on the agent’s medical condition told reporters that the injury occurred when Good’s vehicle struck the officer, identified as Jonathan Ross, a 10-year law enforcement veteran. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the internal injury but declined to release additional medical details, citing privacy concerns.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said earlier that Ross had been treated at a local hospital immediately following the January 7 shooting and was released the same day. “The officer was hit by the vehicle. She hit him. He went to the hospital. A doctor did treat him. He has been released,” Noem said at the time, adding that Ross “acted to protect himself and his fellow agents.”
Ross’s newly confirmed injury may reshape the public perception of the case, which has ignited national controversy and partisan outrage. Early video clips of the incident — which showed Good driving her SUV toward a cluster of federal agents — sparked protests and claims from left-wing activists that the officer overreacted.
But officials say forensic evidence and hospital records now corroborate Ross’s account that he was struck by the car before opening fire. The vehicle reportedly made direct contact with his lower body, causing internal bleeding consistent with blunt-force trauma.
U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino told reporters that Ross is recovering and currently in a secure location after receiving death threats in the wake of the shooting. “He’s in a safe location. He’s recovering from those injuries, and we’re thankful that he’s recovering,” Bovino said.
Ross’s medical history also shows he had previously been injured in a nearly identical incident last June, when he was dragged by a vehicle during an attempted arrest in the same region. Court records indicate that he required 33 stitches and several days of hospital care after that attack — a prior trauma that officials say may have influenced his split-second decision to fire.
Good, 37, was killed after allegedly attempting to ram Ross and other ICE officers while blocking their vehicle with her SUV. Federal officials later described her as part of a radical anti-ICE activist network known as ICE Watch, which they say has interfered with multiple immigration enforcement operations in sanctuary cities.
The DHS classified the incident as “domestic terrorism” under its working definition of politically motivated violence against federal officers.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
